A psycho-ethological approach to social signal processing

The emerging field of social signal processing can benefit from a theoretical framework to guide future research activities. The present article aims at drawing attention to two areas of research that devoted considerable efforts to the understanding of social behaviour: ethology and social psychology. With a long tradition in the study of animal signals, ethology and evolutionary biology have developed theoretical concepts to account for the functional significance of signalling. For example, the consideration of divergent selective pressures responsible for the evolution of signalling and social cognition emphasized the importance of two classes of indicators: informative cues and communicative signals. Social psychology, on the other hand, investigates emotional expression and interpersonal relationships, with a focus on the mechanisms underlying the production and interpretation of social signals and cues. Based on the theoretical considerations developed in these two fields, we propose a model that integrates the processing of perceivable individual features (social signals and cues) with contextual information, and we suggest that output of computer-based processing systems should be derived in terms of functional significance rather than in terms of absolute conceptual meaning.     

Intermodal enhancement of stimulus localisation in infants born prematurely

The interaction of auditory and visual modalities in the enhancement of orientation was examined in premature and near-term infants by presenting them auditory or visual stimuli or auditory-visual stimulus combinations at various positions in sensory space. In 4.5--15-mo-olds, brisk orienting responses could be elicited to very peripheral stimulus positions but only when the stimulus consisted of a spatially coherent auditory-visual combination (i.e., where a sound and a light occurred at the same point in space). This occurred for all infants, irrespective of age or gestational age at birth. First, the result shows that infants can respond to visual stimuli at eccentric positions, beyond the supposed limits of their effective visual fields as measured by standard perimetry. Second, the result extends earlier studies showing that intersensory integration and stimulus localisation develop relatively normally in prematurely born infants. The auditory-visual enhancement test as used here may have a number of further uses and applications in the clinic and laboratory.     

Mood and memory for tightly organized social information

The frequently cited finding that mood-congruent information can be better recalled than mood-incongruent information is tested using categorically organized stimulus material which imposes a systematic structure on the recall process. A target person was described with respect to six categories of social behaviour, with predominantly desirable behaviours in some categories and predominantly undesirable behaviours in others. Participants were induced either an elated mood state or a neutral state using Velten's procedure. Instructions (impression formation versus memory) were also manipulated. Although the mood manipulation apparently worked and did influence the impression judgments of the target person, it did not selectively facilitate the recall of mood-congruent material, neither at the level of specific items nor at the categorical level. However, when only deviating behaviours are considered which do not fit the structural constraints, mood-congruent information is indeed better recalled. To interpret these results, it is argued that the manifestation of mood effects depends on the restrictions of different tasks or response modes. Three other findings were obtained: Superior recall of redundant, structurally consistent information compared with deviating information; an advantage of positive over negative information which is confined to the impression formation condition; and, surprisingly, an incongruency effect for the encoding mood which may reflect the deeper processing of incongruent material.     

The use of statistical,spatial-temporal,and intensional information in judgments of contingency

Judgments of the contingencies between the opinions expressed by three persons in a video-taped group discussion were investigated. Although a purely statistical interpretation of the contingency judgment task was called for by the experimental instruction, the intrusion of non-statistical information in the judgment process was demonstrated: Temporal contiguity (order of speech) and spatial contiguity (eye-contacts, body movements) systematically affected the estimated frequency of agreement among discussion participants. Similar biases were obtained in a memory test for the observed opinion statements which also suggests that intensional information (structural similarity of the discussants' arguments) influenced the cognitive representation of the contingencies. An attentional focus manipulation was also effective; attending to a certain pair of discussants resulted in higher agreement ratings for that pair. The implications of these findings for experiments which use purely statistical models of contingency as a normative criterion are discussed.     

Eine neue Theorie zum Geschwindigkeitstranspositionsphänomen

Zusammenfassung Zwei bestehende Theorien zur Geschwindigkeitstransposition werden diskutiert. Das sind die Theorie der Analogie von physikalischer und phänomenaler Geschwindigkeit sowie die Frequenzgleichstellungstheorie. Es wird gezeigt, daß beide Theorie die Geschwindigkeitstransposition nur unzureichend erklären. Eine neue Theorie wird vorgestellt, die auf dem Geschwindigkeitskonstanzphänomen aufbaut. Diese Theorie bietet eine Erklärung für bislang unver-ständliche Erscheinungen bei der Geschwindigkeitstransposition. Außerdem werden vier Experimente beschrieben, die eindeutig beweisen, daß die Geschwindigkeitstransposition nicht durch Frequenzgleichstellung entsteht. Demgegenüber stehen die Experimentalergebnisse nicht im Widerspruch zur Geschwindigkeitskonstanztheorie. Abschließend wird die Bedeutung dieser Theorie für ingenieurspsyehologische Fragestellungen im Bereich des See-, Land-, Luft- und Raumverkehrs sowie der Kinematographie diskutiert.

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A new theory about the velocity transposition phenomenon

Summary Two existing theories concerning the velocity transposition phenomenon are discussed: the theory of the analogy between physical and subjective velocity and the theory of frequency matching. It is shown that both theories are not able to explain the velocity transposition completely. A new theory is introduced which is based on constancy effects in the perception of velocity. This theory gives an explanation for those velocity transposition effects which have not been understood up to now. Moreover four experiments are described which clearly demonstrate that the velocity transposition phenomenon is not produced by frequency matching. On the other hand the experimental results are not contrary to the new theory of constancy. At last the importance of this theory for human engineering guidance in the field of sea, land, air and space traffic is discussed beside its value for the cinematographer.

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Diese Arbeit ist ein Teil aus der Zulassungsarbeit, die der Verfasser zur Diplomprüfung für Studierende der Psychologie am Psychologischen Institut der Universität Hamburg vorgelegt hat. Die Arbeit wurde durch Herrn Prof. Dr. phil. K. Pawlik genehmigt.     

Voice quality analysis of American and German speakers

Six phoneticians rated the voices of 26 American and 22 German speakers on nine voice quality parameters which were discussed and illustrated by tape-recorded examples before the rating sessions. A reliability analysis showed highly significant interrater agreement on most parameters. Intercorrelations of the expert ratings and correlations with lay ratings of voice are reported and discussed. In concluding, empirical voice-personality relationships are reported and the role of sociocultural and atributional factors in this area is discussed.     

Cognitive Procedural Learning in Amnesia

This group study examined the role of residual declarative memory and task-specific cognitive abilities for cognitive procedural learning in amnesia. 20 amnesic patients and 40 control subjects were studied, using four new cognitive tasks, as well as the Tower of Hanoi and a Mirror Reading task. On the cognitive tasks, but not on Mirror Reading, the learning of amnesic patients was significantly impaired relative to controls. Between- and within-group differences in learning were found to be statistically related to cognitive abilities that are involved in the processing of the procedural tasks. In amnesic patients, significant effects of residual declarative memory on learning scores were not observed, but there was indirect evidence for a role of memory in two tasks. The analysis of the correlative relationship between absolute procedural task performances and cognitive abilities indicated a prolonged dependence on nonspecific intellectual abilities in amnesic patients, suggesting a retarded transition to more advanced stages of skill acquisition.     

On P-compatible hybrid identities and hyperidentities

P-compatible identities are built up from terms with a special structure. We investigate a variety defined by a set ofP-compatible hybrid identities and answer the question whether a variety defined by a set ofP-compatible hyperidentities can be solid.Presented byJan Zygmunt;     

Need-adapted treatment of schizophrenic processes: The essential role of family-centered therapy meetings

Need-adapted treatment is a psychotherapeutically oriented approach to psychoses that has been planned and is implemented individually in each case, combining different activities so that they meet the needs of each patient as well as the people making up her or his personal interactional network (usually the family). A systemic initial intervention, carried out as a conjoint session of the patient, the family members, and a team of 3–4 staff members is an essential part of this approach. The name therapy meeting was given to these sessions because of their notable therapeutic significance. Therapy meetings are often continued during the later phases of treatment to follow up the course of treatment and to reassess the therapeutic plans.